__A killer's deadly game needs new players . . . but someone's about to change the rules__   
As a medical examiner, Serena Hopkins is used to dealing with death. But that doesn't make it any easier when she's called to the eerie scene of a murder--especially when Serena realizes that she knows the victim. Nearly as unnerving is the presence of FBI agent Dominic Allen, her childhood crush.  
  
As evidence mounts and points to a serial killer with disturbingly familiar methods, Serena and Dominic must work to find a pattern and stop the killings before the murderer strikes again. And when Serena's own life seems at stake, she must decide if the secret she has been keeping has put her next on the killer's hit list. Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late?  
  
  
__Praise for Lynette Eason's suspense__ "The suspense is high; I was turning pages so fast I had to go back and reread."--Suspense Magazine   
"Eason has the ability to make the characters come alive and keep the suspense strong enough that the pages have to keep turning."--ARomanceReview.com  
  
"Balancing skilled action writing with quality characterization is difficult for many writers, but Eason does both well."--Crosswalk.com  
  
  
__Lynette Eason__ is the author of several romantic suspense novels, including the Women of Justice series and When the Smoke Clears. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. A wife and the mother of two, she has a master's degree in education and lives in South Carolina.

__Lynette Eason__ is the USA Today author of several romantic suspense novels, including Too Close to Home, Don't Look Back, A Killer Among Us, and When the Smoke Clears. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. A homeschooling mother of two, she has a master's degree in education from Converse College. She lives in South Carolina.

Spunky and outgoing, nothing much bothers medical examiner Serena Hopkins--except for the thought of falling in love again. But when a serial killer is picking off her former classmates, Serena's life becomes intertwined with her old high school crush, FBI agent Dominic Allen. Is the secret she's keeping putting her next on the killer's hit list? Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late?  
  
Intense, emotional, and fast-paced, When a Heart Stops will have readers up late as they race to the finish to find out what happens.

A beautiful young medical examiner joins forces with an FBI agent to stop a serial killer--before she becomes his next victim.

Eason, Lynette

COVER

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BOOKS BY LYNETTE EASON

BACK ADS

BACK COVER

Spunky and outgoing, nothing much bothers medical examiner Serena Hopkins--except for the thought of falling in love again. But when a serial killer is picking off her former classmates, Serena's life becomes intertwined with her old high school crush, FBI agent Dominic Allen. Is the secret she's keeping putting her next on the killer's hit list? Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late?  
  
Intense, emotional, and fast-paced,When a Heart Stopswill have readers up late as they race to the finish to find out what happens.

Bringing you all the action of book 1 in the ‘Deadly Reunions’ series, but with more chilling suspense and a complex romantic plot, ‘When A Heart Stops’ is the story of Serena Hopkins, Medical Examiner and former high school sweetheart, FBI agent Dominic Allen. The uneasy pairing is thrown together to investigate the serial murders that include one of Serena’s former classmates. Could this be a vendetta that includes Serena herself, and is the rekindling romance putting Dominic directly in the killer’s firing line?

In a tale that reveals much of what’s behind the characters of the book’s stars, Serena Hopkins and Dominic Allen, Lynette Eason also gets inside the killer's mind. This second book shows how Lynette’s writing has developed from the non-stop action of the first in the series to a level of suspense that’s more chilling, creepy and intricately plotted.

Without delivering an overbearing message, the author weaves in a deeper meaning throughout, that blends in and adds to the story, making it a book for anyone who loves romantic suspense, and might appreciate an easy introduction to Christian, faith-underneath, crime fiction. ‘When A Heart Stops’ is your invitation into a new Lynette Eason suspenseful romance and the perfect excuse to sit back and reread the series opener.

__What readers say:__

"When A Heart Stops" is filled with suspenseful twists and turns along with easy to like characters to make it a real page turner. The thing that really stood out with these characters was that they often prayed about their problems.”  
  
“The author weaves a meaningful message throughout the story that blends in, and adds to the story. It's not an overbearing message, but is simply a part of who the characters are and a part of their story. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves romantic suspense, even if you don't normally read Christian fiction.”  
  
“This book references the first book and characters are the same even though the main focus of this book is Serena and Dominic. There is a subplot in both books that will be wrapped up in the third book. I can't wait to see what happens. This book was well written with interesting characters and plot. It held my attention from the first page and was very suspenseful.”  
  
“One thing's for sure, there is enough twists and turns in this story to keep the reader guessing right up until the end!”

Lynette Eason is an esteemed, veteran author within the suspense fiction market. Her books don’t just sell well, they sell big. So what’s her secret? How does she manage to write so many books with so much rich, spiritual, engaging content?

The answer is easy – she has good friends.

THE EDITOR:

Firstly, every author on the planet has an editor. Their crucial job is to be a second pair of eyes. The author’s eyes are creative, wild and imaginative, wondering all over the place and pushing the bounders. While the editor’s eyes are focused on the audience, the book’s intended marketplace, the competition and the bank balance.

Together they and chop, change and perfect every chapter so the book is well balanced. Both imaginative and grounded.

THE EXPERTS:

Secondly, a crime fiction author writes in the world of law enforcement, medicine and organizations like the CIA. So unless you started your career as a junior doctor specialising in forensics, then became the secretary to the head of the FBI whilst training as a Navy Seal in your spare time, your books going to lack accuracy.

But Lynette asked some friends in those respective fields to check over her book, allowing them to input any additional information to add realism and grit to the plot. Officer James Hall and Retired FBI Agent Wayne Smith proof read the law enforcement details. While Ruthie Owens who works at Spartanburg Regional Hospital answered any medical questions Lynette had. So everything you’ll read in ‘When A Heart Stops’ has the voice of an expert behind it.

HER INSPIRATION:

Every author has intentions when writing their novels. Some dream of best sellers (and a big pay check). Other dream of fame and the red carpet towards the massive award ceremonies. But others simply want to bless their readers, opening their eyes and hearts to their convictions and beliefs.

For Lynette Eason, her intentions shine through from the first page:

“To my wonderful family and friends  
I couldn’t do this without you.  
And to Jesus Christ,  
My Lord and Saviour -   
And my reason for writing.  
I pray people see you on every page!” – At the front of ‘When A Heart Stops’.

As a strong believer and a talented author, she uses her God-given gift to serve, minister and inspire faith. Enjoy Lynette’s books, because they are for you.

The oldest suspense thriller stories ever written are ‘The History Of Susanna’ and ‘Bel And The Dragon’. Both are from the Apocrypha, believed to have been written between 100 and 200 years before the birth of Christ. Its stories are rarely included in Protestant tradition Bibles, but appear as the ‘Deuterocanonical’ - or secondary canon of scriptures, in Catholic Bibles.

Apocrypha is itself a Greek word meaning ‘hidden away’ so it is, perhaps, appropriate that the earliest mystery stories appear within these disputed chapters for which no original Hebrew versions exist.

‘The History Of Susanna’ tells of a beautiful, young, married woman who goes into her private garden and bathes naked. She is spied on two respected judges who threaten that, if Susanna doesn’t sleep with them, they’ll swear to having witnessed her in an act of adultery; an offence punishable by death. She refuses to be blackmailed, is tried, convicted on their testimony and sentenced to death.

The hero detective in this case is a young man called Daniel. He speaks up for Susanna, winning the right to cross examine the two men. Each man is separately asked the same question: ‘under what kind of tree was the alleged adulterous act committed?’ One judge answered: ‘A mastick tree,’ while the other answered: ‘An oak.’ To quote the text: ‘With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and praised God, who saveth them that trust in him’.

Daniel is also the hero of the other Apocryphal mystery, ‘Bel And The Dragon’. Now a respected adviser to King Cyrus of Babylon, the two men fall out over Daniel’s refusal to worship the official god, Baal. Baal, or Bel, is a huge brass statue where massive amounts of food are daily laid down as sacrifice. Because the vast offering has disappeared from the sealed temple each morning, Cyrus insists that the god’s colossal appetite and consumption is proof of his living reality and power.

Threatened with death, super sleuth Daniel resorts to scientific means to prove his case. Before the temple is sealed for the night, Daniel sprinkles a layer of fine ash around the idol and its stash of sacrificed produce. The next morning, telltale footprints in the ash reveal that it’s not the idol, but an army of men women and children, that account for the nightly disappearance of meat, wine and groceries. The story ends: ‘Then the king cried with a loud voice, saying, "Great are you, Lord God of Daniel, and there is no other beside you!"

Both tales incorporate features essential to modern suspense thrillers: the initial injustice of a crime pinned on an innocent party, and an all seeing detective who reveals how the crime was committed and by whom. Justice follows swiftly. The innocent are redeemed and the detective is honoured. In modern versions you’ll find more complex plots, and the additional element of romance. Lynette Eason’s detective fiction, as in ‘When A Heart Stops’, gives you a mystery of the heart as compelling as that of the crime. But you’ll find another, deeper connection, between Lynette’s writing and her Apocryphal forerunners: they point you to the real author of justice, truth and mercy. Read Christian romantic thrillers and you’ll find the same underpinning reassurance: "Great are you, Lord God of Daniel, and there is no other beside you!" – Les Ellison

‘When A Heart Stops’ is the second in Lynette Eason's ‘Deadly Reunions’ series. Picking up two of the characters from the first in the series, ‘When The Smoke Clears’, Lynette takes you into the mind of a serial killer, who might be aiming - literally - to end the re-emerging romance between medical examiner, Serena Hopkins, and former teenage sweetheart, FBI agent Dominic Allen. The twists and turns of this suspenseful thriller reveal the true feelings and true faith of all involved.

When a Heart Stops (Deadly Reunions Book #2) [eBook]

Navigation Bar

Header Default

Download the Christian360 App to read eBooks and listen to Audiobooks bought at Christian360

When a Heart Stops (Deadly Reunions Book #2) [eBook]

Description

Need support?

Customer reviews

Download the App

Download the App